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McFaddin-Ward Historic House Museum

The McFaddin-Ward House

Historic House Museum in Beaumont, Texas

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    • 1906 McFaddin Ave
      • Episode 1 – Apron Strings: Ties to the Past
      • Episode 2 – A Merry McFaddin Christmas
      • Episode 3 – Continuing the Conversation Beyond Black History Month: The Complexities of Race in Texas 1830 – 1877
      • Episode 4: Continuing the Conversation: Staff Life at the McFaddin-Ward House
      • Episode 5: Continuing the Conversation: The Story of Charlton-Pollard
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You are here: Home / Archives for Exhibits / Visitors Center

Visitors Center

Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection

Now on display in the Visitor Center is the exhibit “Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection.”  In the tall case are featured coffee pots, pitchers, and tumblers.  Specialized pieces for gracefully serving fish, toast, cheese, bone marrow and even the South American drink, yerba mate. Silver is both beautiful and practical once combined with just enough of another metal alloy to increase its durability.  It made possible the creation of items like: a table crumber of intricate design, a ruler bedecked with flowers, and even a frame with Art Nouveau styled poppies.  Also included, is a well-worn silver-plated spoon that is no longer symmetrical.  We can only wonder if it was used by a cook to scrape the bottom of a cooking pan, or was used as everyday favorite, sparing the sterling pieces from ware. Also on display are two examples of 20th century place settings. Viewers can appreciate the ornate style of the repoussé “Baltimore Rose” pattern by the Heer-Schofield Co. and contrast it against the elegant colonial-revival simplicity of the “Mary Chilton” pattern by Towle Manufacturing Co.

 

Glitz, Gleam, and Glass

January 21, 2020

Now on display at our Visitor Center is a selection of brilliant glass pieces from the McFaddin-Ward House collection. The collection contains hundreds of glass objects that belonged to Ida Caldwell McFaddin and Mamie McFaddin Ward. Over 200 of these pieces hail from the Blenko Glass Company in West Virginia and Steuben Glass Works in …

Read moreGlitz, Gleam, and Glass

Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection

March 5, 2019

Now on display in the Visitor Center is the exhibit “Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection.”  In the tall case are featured coffee pots, pitchers, and tumblers.  Specialized pieces for gracefully serving fish, toast, cheese, bone marrow and even the South American drink, yerba mate. Silver is both beautiful and practical once combined …

Read moreShining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection

Pretty in Pink

January 21, 2019

Did you know society has not always associated the color pink with femininity? In 1918, the clothing company Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department rules that pink favors boys, because it descends from the strong and aggressive symbolism of red. As time progresses, however, color assignment lacks unanimity, with different regions advertising pink for both girls and boys. …

Read morePretty in Pink

All the China

February 2, 2018

The McFaddin-Ward China Collection The McFaddin women adored china. Mamie McFaddin Ward and her mother Ida owned some thirty-six sets! Not all were dinnerware, however. They included breakfast, tea, and dessert sets too, and they happily used them all. New exhibits featuring ceramics from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection are now on display at the Visitor …

Read moreAll the China

Glitter and Gleam: Selections from our Reserve Collection

June 7, 2016

Current Visitor Center Exhibit Ida Caldwell McFaddin and her daughter Mamie McFaddin-Ward inherited certain fashion accessories, but they also followed the trends of their respective times. Clothing and accessories from 1880 to 1919 are shown in the exhibit as well as those from 1920 to 1959. Though made of various precious materials, all are shining examples …

Read moreGlitter and Gleam: Selections from our Reserve Collection

Up Close and Personal – Vintage Purses and Jewelry

February 23, 2016

The McFaddin-Ward House has recently installed two new display cases that will allow visitors to get closer to objects than they’ve ever been before. Brilliant, cool lighting in the cases highlight details of beads, gemstones, and craftsmanship. They sit below large portraits of Ida Caldwell McFaddin, the first lady of the house, and her sister, Ouida …

Read moreUp Close and Personal – Vintage Purses and Jewelry

“Stuff” – Past Visitor Center Exhibit

January 6, 2016

The McFaddin-Ward House was built in 1905-1906 in a Beaux-Arts Colonial style. Its furnishings and décor reflected the lifestyle of the family that lived there for seventy-five years. The family collected objects and chose to live with things they liked. This reflected their tastes and the changing trends of the times. Some objects they chose …

Read more“Stuff” – Past Visitor Center Exhibit

The Art of Demitasse — Past Visitor Center Exhibit

July 11, 2014

Since ancient times, coffee was said to have healing properties. After-dinner coffee was thought to assist digestion, enhance endurance, and act as an antidote for inebriation. The Middle Eastern custom of drinking very hot, black coffee in small cups traveled to Europe along with the beverage, in the 17th century. It was the French, in …

Read moreThe Art of Demitasse — Past Visitor Center Exhibit

Lively Tableware — Past Visitor Center Exhibit

January 10, 2014

The McFaddins collected a lot over their years spent in the house, including many pieces destined for the two dining areas of the home.If you’ve visited the museum, you’ve seen examples of these lavish tablescapes, often set with exquisite pieces of china, silver, cut glass, and others. A new exhibit at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum’s …

Read moreLively Tableware — Past Visitor Center Exhibit
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Visitor Center

1906 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77701 | 409-832-2134

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725 Third Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701-1629 | 409-832-1906

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